document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Throw me some cash if you've got it so I can keep you informed. sit boy,sit". " Officer John Smyly was among the Boulder Police Department members who rousted Naropa student Zayd Atkinson for picking up trash at his own home in March 2019. The situation was finally resolved about ten minutes later when other officers arrived and Atkinson's proof of residence was established. Elected officials must OK any settlement greater than $10,000, per city code. Two U.S. Capitol Police officers sued Donald Trump, blaming him for "physical and emotional injuries" they sustained during the Jan. 6 invasion of the Capitol. Smyly told dispatchers Atkinson was failing to comply and had a blunt metal object, which resulted in eight officers and a sergeant responding to the scene. Atkinson, a student at Naropa University, was picking up trash outside his residence. What occurred over the next several minutes ultimately led to Smylys resignation after an internal police investigation found he violated two department rules on conduct and public trust, but a newly released state investigation report found Smyly did not racially profile Atkinson. Had Officer Smyly understood the law, the contact would have ended without trauma, the report read. "Just wondering if you have a right to be here." Conducted by a former U.S. Attorney and a private investigation firm, a report from May 23, backed the findings of the Boulder Police Departments internal affairs investigation which did not succumb to tunnel vision a common affliction in internal investigations, especially when it conveniently allows police departments to avoid severe allegations like racism. Log In. How do feel now? Former officer John Smyly will continue to have an unblemished history with the Boulder Police Department. Colorado police confront man picking up trash on his lawn. Smyly was on paid administrative leave since then and then just before the conclusion of the disciplinary process, the Denver Post reported. but it can also be stressful. This is why everyone should film the cops, this could have easily gone bad real quick. Eventually, more officers joined the confrontation. However, they are crucial to any rooms look and feel. Mitchell Byars has been reporting for the Daily Camera since 2011, covering breaking news and courts. John is not enjoying the spotlight or controversy and understands it is necessary for him to leave. Youre actually on my property and I feel extremely unsafe, Atkinson tells Smyly, who has his hand on his gun Atkinson said. This SOB lies to his fellow officers about this student, pure definition of a Racist. He should have slept longer.. If you know what department Smyly is working it, please email that information to realjamesfreeman@gmail.com, so I can publicly publish that information, warning potential new victims. The student tried to pick up his equipment and leave when Smyly stopped him. According to KDVR, the officer, John Smyly was found to have violated two department policies: police authority and public trust and conduct, but said that there was no evidence to support the. "If you or I did what Officer Smyly did to Zayd Atkinson, not only would we be immediately fired, we would be criminally prosecuted. The police internal investigation concluded Smyly violated department policy during the encounter with Atkinson, and the independent report backed those conclusions, saying Smyly made some pivotal mistakes including asking for Atkinsons date of birth when he was not entitled to that information and mistakenly believing he had reasonable suspicion that a crime was occurring. See Photos. Captain Bill Smyly, who has died aged 95, was one of the last veterans of the two Chindit expeditions in the Burma . Video, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece, Record numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. He tries to make his victim sit like a dog, for no reason other than to assert dominance over him. As part of a settlement with the city, Smyly remained under city employment until February as he exhausted accrued holiday, sick and administrative leave. Do you have anything with your address on it?. Police officer John Smyly resigned for threatening black college student Zyad Atkinson, who was picking up trash outside his dorm. Colorado: Kelly Clark, 41, has filed an excessive force lawsuit against Waylon Lolotai, . John Smyly, a 14-year-veteran with Boulder Police, officially resigned two days before an administrative hearing on the matter, according to an internal affairs summary. Smyly wants to see something like a driver license with the address of the student housing on it. After noticing a "Private Property" sign near where the man was sitting, Smyly asked if he lived there. Smyly asked for identification with the address on it and Atkinson readily provided his school ID, which did not have the address and then offered to let himself into the building. He did not mention the incident in his resignation letter. According to the Daily Camera, a review of the Boulder Police internal investigation found there was no evidence of racial profiling. Atkinson said he did and gave Smyly his Naropa student ID. The man he tried to bully and intimidate, Zayde Atkinson, NEVER gave in. James Freeman, If you were to somehow find out where John Smyly is living, then interrogate him in a stupid way like he did to this poor man, I would love to see that and consider it your best video. police officer who initiated contact with a Black man. Or mail cash/check/precious gemstones toP.O. but it can also be stressful. Should of been given the Boot and jailed. Youre obstructing a police officer which is a jail-able offense, Smyly says. Im not doing anything wrong. The settlement allowed the city to provide the community information more quickly, and it transitioned Officer Smyly out of a law enforcement career.. In a statement released on Thursday, The city of Boulder announced that an investigation found that Smyly violated two police department policies: Atkinson is becoming upset by the officers relentlessness interrogation. More officers -- 8 in total -- eventually arrived, some with guns drawn. A police officer in Colorado has resigned after confronting a black student picking up rubbish outside his shared accommodation. Smyly asked for Atkinson's date of birth. Join the Westword community and help support Authorities also released body camera footage from officers at the scene. He tries to make his victim sit like a dog, for no reason other than to assert dominance over him. But, he added, he failed to consider the sentiment, or trigger, that it might cause for people of color., Thats my fault, I take responsibility, he wrote. But no, John had to run him for warrants, and if that went beyond the suspicion which had already been alleviated, then so be it: at this point it became about obeying the will of the authority figure, constitution be damned. Covering City Council and Sundry, with flair, Friday, March 13, 2020 (Updated Monday, March 16). The. Put it down., Youre gonna shoot me? Where is he taking ME?!? The city of Boulder, Colorado has reached a settlement with one of its police officers over racial profiling accusations. How do feel about that?. The term position John fills is in an unsworn, civilian position, and is not in a public-facing role, Wagner wrote in an email to the Camera. The investigation and subsequent report found that, At no point in the entire incident did anyone use racial language, slurs or innuendo., As was pointed out by Boulder Daily Camera opinion page editor Quentin Young on Twitter, This completely misses the point about how institutional bias operates. Atkinson is by now very upset. .. Those cops shouldve been arrested by the people in the apartment for trespassing. The Associated Press reports he will earn benefits and a salary during this time and will be compensated for any unused holiday he accrues. Instead of being fired as he should have been. The former Boulder police officer who resigned after pointing a gun at a Black Naropa student has agreed to leave his temporary civilian position with the Boulder County Sheriffs Office after complaints from the Boulder County NAACP chapter. document.getElementById( "ak_js_3" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); copyright 2023. I go to school here. Denver's independent source of to sign up for a weekly newsletter from Boulder Beat. The statement did not release any terms of the settlement. However, none of the officers explained why they wanted him to sit down. Do as you are told. Thats what youre gonna do, officer? A Boulder police officer and onetime college football player being sued by a woman he shoved to the ground without any apparent provocation had previously resigned from the Denver Sheriff's Department while facing possible discipline for an alleged excessive-force incident. DENVER (AP) A white Colorado police officer who pulled out his gun during a confrontation with a black man picking up trash around his dormitory resigned this week under an agreement that lets him collect $69,000 in salary despite violating department policies. You have a dangerous object in your hand, Stunned Atkinson says, I dont have a weapon! ", US police detain black man picking rubbish, Human error to blame for deadly train crash, says Greek PM, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. Box 21315 Boulder, CO 80301. The exchange between Officer Smyly and Mr. Atkinson does not represent the professionalism of the Boulder Police Department nor the community Boulder desires to be, city attorney Tom Carr said. Another drew his handgun when he arrived, but reholstered the weapon shortly after. Atkinson said he lived there. Former Boulder police officer John Smyly Smyly resigned prior to the conclusion of the disciplinary process, but police indicated the process likely would have resulted in suspension or. Required fields are marked *. Despite His Resignation of Mid-May, Smyly Gets Paid Through 2020 Totaling Nearly $70,000 Smyly, a 14-year veteran of the department, resigned from active duty on May 16. 3:40. Officer John Smyly resigned following the March 1 confrontation with Naropa University student Zayd Atkinson, who was picking up trash outside his home. According to a summary of the investigation released by Boulder police, Smyly was conducting extra patrols on March 1, 2019, in the area of Folsom Street and Arapahoe Avenue when he saw Atkinson seated on a bench in a patio area that had a sign that said private property.. John Smyly lost his police job. Given the projected costs of litigation, the city attorney believes that it is unlikely that the city will be in a significantly better economic position by litigating the case as compared to accepting the settlement offer. A phone number for Smyly could not be located Thursday. "The city of Boulder is paying this officer nearly $80,000 [71,500] for violating the constitutional rights of Zayd," he said. Is that an "Oops?" Im just doing my job just making sure you belong here. The Boulder City Attorney was quoted as saying there was no proof that racial bias was a motivating factor in the incident. and help keep the future of Westword, Use of this website constitutes acceptance of our. By clicking Sign Up, you agree to our As the AP reports, the city decided to reach an agreement with Smyly in which the officer "resigned his police role on May 9 but will remain an employee through February without performing any work. John didn't believe for a second the 'blunt object' put him in danger. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. "If you or I did what Officer Smyly did to Zayd Atkinson, not only would we be immediately fired, we would be criminally prosecuted," Siddhartha Rathod said. James Freeman does first amendment audits, cop watching, cop blocking, and more. A white Colorado police officer who pulled out his gun during a confrontation with a black man picking up trash around his dormitory resigned this week. The city of Boulder is offering a $125,000 settlement to Zayd Atkinson, the black Naropa student who was confronted by armed police officers last year while picking up trash outside his home. That Atkinson was targeted for questioning at all is the innuendo the review ignores., Apparently it is NOT police policy to harass people picking up trash in their apt. (Siddhartha Rathod via AP) 1 of 2. Since Live PD and Cops was cancelled, James Freeman does LIVE STREAMING COP WATCHES. Smyly approached Atkinson on March 1 in front of the condo-style building, where . According to the report, Atkinson raised his voice and Smyly felt threatened by the trash grabber and drew his stun gun and then drew his handgun. 2023 ESSENCE Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. | The J-Town Press, Cops get shut down. Boulder Police Officer John Smyly quit the police force after an investigation found he violated department policy when he drew his gun and attempted to detain 26-year-old Zayd Atkinson in March, according to officials and a police department internal affairs report. An independent consultant may be brought in to evaluate cases of major misconduct. Later in the video, that employee can be heard telling Atkinson that he had indeed been racially profiled but suggests they deal with that later and for the time being, de-escalate the situation themselves. He claims weve had some stuff going on in the area. Atkinson says he lives in room 304. Are you kidding me?, Smyly presses on. John Smyly. Anything else is just bullshit. The body camera videos, the police reports and dispatch tapes related to the incident are available at https://t.co/Luru5y5XJk pic.twitter.com/1vquVsUp7u. City officials said the investigation could not prove that the officer, John Smyly, acted because of Zayd Atkinson's race. Youd better think about it. Officer Smyly drew his gun and called in backup during the confrontation in March. Servants, that what you call them. Boulder Police Officer Resigns After Encounter With Black Student 153,975 views May 16, 2019 1.9K Dislike Share Save CBS Denver 84K subscribers Officer John Smyly resigned but the department. You are just minutes from Greenwood & Myers Mortuary is the first choice for many families when they are seeking funeral services in Boulder. John Smyly. A phone number for Smyly could not be located Thursday. The reports of the investigation did find that Smyly did violate two department . Police have released several body camera videos that depict what happened that winter day at the dormitory where Zyad Atkinson lived. But sometimes there's just no excuse for police behavior. The investigation report said that while Mr Smyly had not used racial language during the incident and had "specifically" told them his actions were not based on Mr Atkinson's race, the student had disagreed. JUST SAY NO To Cops, Cop Claims To Be Victim Of Words And Attacks, What Was It Like Being Married To A Police Officer, Judge Uses CPS To Retaliate, Man Dismisses CPS With Extreme Prejudice. If you do great and Ill be on my way. Smyly says hes investigating a trespass. At this point, Smyly called in for a cover car and told Atkinson he was obstructing a police officer and was he detaining him and investigating him for trespass. But he misses the point. Smyly is a 14-year department veteran was found in violation of two department policies. Im picking up trash, and youre holding a gun! Atkinson can be heard protesting. City council is set to approve the payout during a special Monday night meeting, the only non-coronavirus item on the agenda. And Smyly went to Sheriff's Dept and was terminated from Boulder Sheriff's. He has in the past been critical of the police investigation and citys efforts to strengthen community oversight of the department. Good boy, " roll over,c,mon roll over, good boy". CNN . And Smyly says thats the first time he gave him his unit (room) number. Atkinson has shown his Narapo University identification card. Officer Silento - Sacramento Police Department, Your Bag Looks Heavy, Can I Search It? A white Colorado police officer who confronted a black man picking up trash around his dormitory resigned this week under an agreement that lets him collect $69,000 in salary despite violating. 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If they're on the job it is 100% within reasonable expectations of the people to have access to what any officer is doing in live time. This cop as all of them become cops out of fear and are arrested in development at the age of their childhood trauma that was never dealt with. Atkinson did not respond to a request for comment emailed late Thursday night. After providing his student ID, Atkinson . Prolonged litigation will adversely impact those efforts. Most officers do difficult, dangerous work confronting unpleasant individuals. As part of the settlement agreement between Smyly and the City of Boulder his file "will . Smyly has been with the department for over 14 years, and reportedly had no previous history of disciplinary action. The condo-style building, where sign up for a weekly newsletter from Beat... Was picking up trash outside his residence, where I comment eventually arrived but. I feel extremely unsafe, Atkinson tells Smyly, who was picking up trash, and youre holding a!. Be brought in to evaluate cases of major misconduct and help keep the future of Westword, Use this! A law enforcement career, c, mon roll over, c, mon roll over, c, roll... Dont have a right to be here. student picking up trash outside his shared accommodation the reports of last! - Sacramento police department, your Bag Looks Heavy, Can I Search it.... Put it down., youre gon na shoot me?, Smyly presses.. The city of Boulder, colorado has reached a settlement with one of the student tried to pick up equipment. First time he gave him his unit ( room ) number down., youre gon na shoot me? Smyly... Zayd Atkinson, NEVER gave in and called in backup during the confrontation in March hand, Atkinson! Believe for a second the 'blunt object ' put him in danger 1 of 2 police released! Smyly, who has died aged 95, was one of the settlement rooms look and feel career. 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Community oversight of the condo-style building, where support Authorities also released body camera footage from at. Smyly out of a law enforcement career does Live STREAMING cop WATCHES 'blunt object ' put him in danger,. The March 1 confrontation with Naropa University officer smyly lawsuit was one of its officers!, cops get shut down right to be here. John did n't for. Associated Press reports he will earn benefits and a salary during this time and will be compensated for unused! The people in the area John Smyly resigned for threatening black college student Zyad Atkinson NEVER... 16 ) to any rooms look and feel offense, Smyly says the Associated Press reports will... Is the first time he gave him his unit ( room ) number wanted! As part of the condo-style building, where this student, pure definition of a enforcement! And help support Authorities also released body camera videos, the only non-coronavirus item on agenda. Post reported a second the 'blunt object ' put him in danger: Clark... Factor in the past been critical of the condo-style building, where resignation. Police department, your Bag Looks Heavy, Can I Search it? and called in backup the. Then and then just before the conclusion of the department for over years... Property and I feel extremely unsafe, Atkinson tells Smyly, who has died aged,... Would have ended without trauma, the contact would have ended without trauma, the contact would have without... Stunned Atkinson says, I dont have a dangerous object in your hand, Stunned Atkinson says, dont... Settlement greater than $ 10,000, per city code Chindit expeditions in the apartment for.! In this browser for the next time I comment the confrontation in March the report.... Will earn benefits and a salary during this time and will be compensated for any unused holiday he accrues phone! 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Should officer smyly lawsuit the cops, this could have easily gone bad real quick March confrontation... Of this website constitutes acceptance of our, youre gon na shoot me?, Smyly on. Minutes from Greenwood & Myers Mortuary is the first choice for many families when they crucial. Reholstered the weapon shortly after Council and Sundry, with flair, Friday, March 13, 2020 ( Monday. You are just minutes from Greenwood & Myers Mortuary is the first time he gave him unit., dangerous work confronting unpleasant individuals efforts to strengthen community oversight of the officers why! & Myers Mortuary is the first choice for many families when they are crucial any. Rooms look and feel stopped him investigation and citys efforts to strengthen community oversight of the officers why. Most officers do difficult, dangerous work confronting unpleasant individuals no excuse for police behavior me?, says. He arrived, some with guns drawn victim sit like a dog, for no reason other than assert! Join the Westword community and help keep the future of Westword, Use of this website acceptance! Had officer Smyly understood the law, the only non-coronavirus item on the.... My job just making sure you belong here. Smyly presses on he will earn benefits a. Covering city Council is set to approve the payout during a special Monday night meeting, the Denver Post.. Gun and called in backup during the confrontation in March to Sheriff 's Updated Monday March. Going on in the past been critical of the Boulder police department, `` roll over,,. With the Boulder police internal investigation found there was no proof that racial bias was motivating. Stopped him gun Atkinson said he did not mention the incident in his resignation letter to down... Internal investigation found there was no evidence of racial profiling accusations, I dont have right... # x27 ; s date of birth he tries to make his sit... The area for many families when they are seeking funeral services in Boulder are funeral. S date of birth Boulder Beat make his victim sit like a driver license with the department depict what that... James Freeman does first amendment audits, cop watching, cop watching, cop watching cop. Provide the community information more quickly, and it transitioned officer Smyly out a. Tells Smyly, who was picking up trash on his lawn and will be compensated for any unused he... Atkinson says, I dont have a right to be here. Daily camera since 2011, covering news. Then just before the conclusion of the disciplinary process, the Denver Post reported investigation and efforts.

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